She’s already renowned for painting Welsh cobs and circus performers, now artist Elin Sian Blake is capturing iconic scenes from Welsh rugby on canvas. But, as she admits to Karen Price, she hasn’t always been a fan of the game

GLANCING through Elin Sian Blake’s intricate paintings of Welsh rugby icons past and present, you could be forgiven for thinking that she has spent most of her life on the touchline.

But the artist admits that she had to be dragged along to watch our national sport while she was growing up.

“I used to hate rugby,” laughs the 31-year-old, who is originally from Pontypridd but now lives in Abergavenny.

“I would be dragged every Sunday to watch my brother playing rugby. Sitting in the car in the rain gave me a hatred of the sport.”

But during the 2005 Six Nations championship, when Wales won the Grand Slam, Blake started watching the matches and discovered an interest in rugby.

And after people started suggesting to her that she should start painting the players in action, she decided to have a go.

In the past, the mother-of-one had captured Welsh cobs on canvas and it was pointed out to her that there were similarities between the horses galloping on the field and the players battling it out on the pitch.

“I could see what they meant – Welsh cobs and rugby players are both muscular and when they are in the arena, crowds cheer them on. There’s lots of energy and excitement.”

Her first painting was of Scott Williams’ match-winning try against England last year.

“I thought it was an amazing moment,” she says. “I posted it on the internet to put the feelers out and see what people thought of my change in direction and I had such a fantastic response from everyone – I was really overwhelmed.

“I thought that if I could get that sort of response from one painting then I should do some more so I started asking people for their favourite rugby moments.”

Blake also started watching clips of matches dating as far back as the ’60s and ’70s before painting portraits of Welsh rugby greats like Mervyn Davies and Phil Bennett.

And she’s currently enjoying watching today’s young squad taking on the international teams in the 2013 Six Nations tournament.

In fact, she has already been painting some momentous moments, including George North’s try in Paris two weeks ago.

“I’ve been painting different players from the different eras – I’ve captured everything from a try in the ’70s to something that happened this month.”

Now rugby fans will be able to see Blake’s work for themselves when it goes on show at a gallery in Usk on St David’s Day.

There are about 20 paintings but she will be adding to the collection as she continues to follow Wales’ progress during the Six Nations, including today’s match against Italy in Rome.

Extracts from Western Mail columnist Carolyn Hitt’s new rugby diary, Wales Play In Red, have been matched to each painting by David Sansom, owner of Gallery In The Square, which is mounting the exhibition.

The writer will be among the guests when the exhibition is officially launched by ex-British Lion and Wales legend Scott Quinnell, one of the subjects of Blake’s many paintings.

Sansom says: “There is a synergy between the powerful horses that Elin normally favours and the muscular form of a rugby player in full flight.

“She has captured the very essence of the passion and hwyl of what is to many, a national obsession.”

Blake, who studied graphic design before focusing on painting, says she will continue developing her rugby body of work. “There is so much scope when rugby is your subject. The game means so much to so many different people – you’ve got everyone from teenage girls to older people following the sport.

“There are so many special memories for so many people that I have to explore them all.”

One of the images she is keen to depict is Gareth Edwards when he famously emerged from his try against Scotland in 1972 with mud on his face. “From an artistic point of view, I love that moment.

“I’ve been trying to paint it but I’ve not been able to get good enough shots because the clip’s so old.

“I also like the famous image you always see of JPR Williams covered in blood.”

Blake has now been offered the chance to visit the Scarlets at their training ground to study them in action and she will also continue watching the old matches on her DVD player. I can’t believe how much I now enjoy rugby,” she laughs. “It’s been a total turn around for me.”

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